Discussion
Is Google's suit against the U.S. Government justified?
Google is claiming in a lawsuit that Interior contract's terms favored Microsoft.
What are your thoughts on the matter? Is Google justified?
From Washington Post
"Google has filed a lawsuit against the Interior Department claiming that the agency favored competitor Microsoft when considering bids for a new Web-based e-mail system.
In an action filed with the U.S. Court of Federal Claims on Friday, Google asked the court to halt the Interior Department’s bidding process, which it says is designed in a way that guarantees Microsoft would win the contract."
In its lawsuit, Google pointed to bidding guidelines that call for including Microsoft’s Business Productivity Online Suite in the project. Google called the requirement “unduly restrictive of competition.”
Staff
Elliot Volkman
Deltek, Inc.
GovWin Community Manager & Video Director/Producer
Re: Is Google's suit against the U.S. Government justified?
Google vs DOI
Google vs Govt
Is Google's suit against the U.S. Government justified?
Security is always the main concern of any organization whether public or private. I think the government should have the discretion regarding this issue. This law suit will then subject Google's security to scrutiny.
No competition
The government should be free to decide which service they want.
Halting the bidding process would prolong the governments necessity for improvement.
As Google had emphasized there is no room for competition, the same can be said for them if they went with this because unless they win or the government chooses their service this issue will not go away so easily.
Lawsuit is Strategic for Google's Future
While in general I think agencies should be able to specify exactly what they want, I don't think we can count Google out on this one. Having read the case summary, DOI may have shot itself in the foot by writing in vendor-specific requirements into the RFQ. It's one thing to describe all of its requirements that just HAPPEN to be everything that Microsoft's solution delivers (which is what the State of California did, prompting complaints - but no lawsuit- from Google), but to specifically say in the RFQ that Microsoft's Business Productivity Online Suite-Federal (BPOS) is the only solution that could be proposed, as Google claims, may put DOI at a disadvantage when this goes to court. Google is suing to set precedent, not only because DOI may have given them the window to do so, but because they need to somehow overcome this issue before it becomes standard play. If Google wants to have any future in the federal government, they have to make a statement now or they could be running into this same issue on every similar procurement.
Very informative
Lawsuit is Strategic for Google's Future
While in general I think agencies should be able to specify exactly what they want, I don't think we can count Google out on this one. Having read the case summary, DOI may have shot itself in the foot by writing in vendor-specific requirements into the RFQ. It's one thing to describe all of its requirements that just HAPPEN to be everything that Microsoft's solution delivers (which is what the State of California did, prompting complaints - but no lawsuit- from Google), but to specifically say in the RFQ that Microsoft's Business Productivity Online Suite-Federal (BPOS) is the only solution that could be proposed, as Google claims, may put DOI at a disadvantage when this goes to court. Google is suing to set precedent, not only because DOI may have given them the window to do so, but because they need to somehow overcome this issue before it becomes standard play. If Google wants to have any future in the federal government, they have to make a statement now or they could be running into this same issue on every similar procurement.
Re: Lawsuit is Strategic for Google's Future
new WT article on this
This new article has a few very good points!
There should be no bias.